Tag Archives: mgmt

Somewhere, the men of MGMT might be seething. Not long after that band decided to abandon the star-making dance-pop of debut LP Oracular Spectacular for its divisive psychedelic follow-up, Congratulations (an album that, for the record, we really enjoyed), another band comes along, picks up Oracular’s glowstick baton and becomes indie-pop’s next big thing.

That may not have been Foster the People’s intent with their breakthrough album, Torches, but they’ve certainly been filling the void MGMT left after “Kids” with some immediate, vaguely spacey dancefloor fillers. We’re partial to the vast, Coldplay-worthy anthem “Waste” and Dandy Warhols-esque rocker “Don’t Stop,” but it’s the whistling dance gem “Pumped Up Kicks” that’s been making waves on the Web. The group’s show at the Cannery Ballroom on Wednesday, June 29 — which was already moved from the Mercy Lounge — has sold out, so if you find yourself without a ticket, plan on staking out a spot at Grimey’s, where they’ll play an in-store earlier in the evening.

The in-store starts at 6:30 p.m., and Grimey’s New & Preloved Music is located at 1604 Eighth Ave. S. (254-4801). Admission is free.

On record and on especially onstage, few bands have made rock music a more mind-bending, gimmick-fueled, gloriously chaotic experience than psych-rock vets the Flaming Lips -- and they’re only getting better with age.

Their most recent album, 2009’s Embryonic, is a fascinating freakout, but it seems like it came out a century ago, given the Lips’ laundry list of head-turning efforts since then. There’s the new four-song collection the band released as a USB drive, encased in a life-sized human skull made of “gummi” candy, or the new song (with an unprintable title) the band released via YouTube -- in 12 separate videos to be played simultaneously.

On top of these efforts, the indie rock statesmen have made friends with young guns such as Neon Indian (who released a collaborative EP with the band in March) and MGMT, who sang their hit “Kids” with the Lips and a crew of fans dressed like Wizard of Oz characters at the Beale Street Music Festival earlier this month.

Whatever Flaming Lips leader Wayne Coyne and his bandmates have in store for Nashville on Wednesday, May 18, it’s safe to say that the Ryman (116 Fifth Ave. N., 889-3060) — despite its peerless legacy — has never hosted a show quite like this.

They’ve got another one of those gigs at Exit/In (2208 Elliston Place, 321-3340) on Saturday, August 14, but they could also brag about the hits, downloads and streams they’ve amassed with their blog-baiting brand of tunes.

The pair’s breakthrough mixtape, The Swelly Express, sampled dorm room indie-rock favorites MGMT, Passion Pit, Sufjan Stevens and Belle and Sebastian. It predictably lit up music aggregators and social networks last year, leading to a major label deal.

Even with a few embarrassingly ham-fisted choices (a track sampling MGMT’s massive “Kids” is titled “Opposite of Adults”), the two look to be whipping up their ideal back-to-school mix with their pending debut album.

The Nashville show starts at 9 p.m., and tickets are $12. Watch the “Opposite of Adults” video after the jump.Continue reading →

The band's touring in support of divisive (but ultimately awesome, we say) sophomore album Congratulations, which opts for hyperactive psychedelic punk tunes instead of the dancefloor-ready fare of their breakout hits ("Kids," "Electric Feel").

Tickets for the show go on sale at 10 a.m. Friday, July 16 via Ticketmaster. All seats are $32.50.